extradition

Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden

Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden for interrogation by prosecutors looking into sex crime allegations against the WikiLeaks editor, a U.K. judge has ruled.

At Belmarsh Magistrates Court in London today, chief magistrate Howard Riddle said that defense arguments had not convinced him to deny the Swedish authorities' request to issue a European arrest warrant (EAW) against Assange.

"I must order that Mr. Assange be extradited to Sweden," said Riddle. "Mr. Assange has seven days to appeal the decision."

After the ruling (PDF), Assange's supporters told ZDNet UK that there will be an appeal. … Read more

Witness: Assange's version of events needed to be heard

Julian Assange should have been arrested in Sweden as soon as a prosecutor there decided he should be questioned on rape allegations, according to a defense witness in the WikiLeaks editor's ongoing extradition hearing.

Sven-Erik Alhem, a former Swedish prosecutor, told the second day of the hearing at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court that Assange should have been allowed to give his version of events once it was alleged that he had had coercive sex with two women.

"When [prosecutor] Marianne Ny decided to change the original decision not to prosecute [for rape]... in my opinion she should have made … Read more

Assange hearing set; WikiLeaks vows more cables

A British court today set an extradition hearing for February 7 and 8 for Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks editor whom Swedish authorities have accused of rape.

District Judge Nicholas Evans set the date in a brief hearing today in London, using a large courtroom to accommodate more of the people interested in the high-profile case. In addition, the judge modified the terms of Assange's bail to permit him to stay in London during the hearing, according to CNET News sister site ZDNet UK.

Assange denies the Swedish accusations. According to a British police statement released when Assange was arrested … Read more

WikiLeaks editor faces grand jury indictment?

In another sign that a U.S. indictment of WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange may be imminent, his lawyer has said that a grand jury in Alexandria, Va., is currently weighing criminal charges.

"We have heard from the Swedish authorities that there has been a secretly impaneled grand jury in Alexandria," said Mark Stephens, an attorney at the London-based FSI law firm.

Stephens told Al-Jazeera over the weekend that he believes that there is "collusion" between the Swedish government, which has accused Assange of sexual assault, and the United States. "We understand [Swedish authorities] have said … Read more

NASA hacker loses bid to avoid extradition

Gary McKinnon has lost his high court bid in the U.K. to avoid extradition to the U.S. for hacking into military systems.

McKinnon had tried to argue that former home secretary, Jacqui Smith, was legally wrong to push for the extradition despite his diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome and that the director of public prosecutions was also wrong to opt for extradition despite having sufficient evidence to prosecute McKinnon in the U.K.

However, Lord Justice Stanley Burnton and Justice Alan Wilkie dismissed both claims on Friday. McKinnon now has 28 days to launch an appeal at the … Read more

Alleged NASA hacker gets temporary reprieve

Gary McKinnon, a British man accused of hacking into U.S. military systems, has been granted a short stay of his extradition.

Last month, McKinnon lost his battle in the House of Lords against extradition to the U.S. to face charges of hacking various military systems. His final recourse now will be if the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) agrees to hear his appeal.

The London law firm representing McKinnon, Kaim Todner, stated on Tuesday that the ECHR will consider as soon as August 28 whether McKinnon can appeal.

"The presidents of the European Court (of) Human … Read more